Another year over. And a new one just begun.

Each year as the days on the calendar go by and the year changes to a new one, I like to recount my experiences of the previous year and look forward to what lies ahead. 2011 was a great year full of music, beer, and lots of good times.

Last year I went to quite a few excellent music concerts. I began the year with My Darkest Days and Three Days Grace. I saw an amazing acoustic performance by Chris Cornell (lead singer of such great bands as Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, and Audioslave). In April, I saw Cold, Egypt Central, Kopek, and a few other bands. In May 2011, I graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee with my Bachelor's Degree in Information Systems & Technology, an achievement that I am very proud of. My brother came to Milwaukee to help me celebrate my graduation weekend and we had a great time. I took him to see Disturbed and Nonpoint at The Rave. Great weekend! The last weekend in May I saw Godsmack and Sully Erna's performance of his solo album Avalon. The Avalon performance was my all time favorite show of 2011, hands down!! Simply AMAZING!!!

Summerfest saw me attend 10 out of 11 days, unlike all 11 in 2010. Summerfest is always a great time! Among the bands I saw were: Saving Abel, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Rise Against, Sick Puppies, Middle Class Rut, Crash Kings, The Heroes Lie (a great local band), 10 Years, Hollywood Undead, and many more. I attended the inaugural Rock USA festival in Oshkosh, WI, where I saw Dokken, Hollywood Undead, and KISS. Other shows I saw were Five Finger Death Punch, All That Remains, Evans Blue, Pop Evil, Chevelle, and Bush. I met quite of few bands last year as well.

At the tail end of 2010, my brother and I kind of proclaimed that 2011 was going to be a great year for both of us. That turned out to be true for my brother, who landed what he calls is his dream job. While it was a great year for me also, I didn't experience the kind of change that he did. Looking forward to 2012, however, I think there could be some very promising opportunities being presented to me in the early part of the year. Aside of the unknown, I know I can count on plenty more concerts, festivals, and great times with friends and family. I am well on my way to fulfilling some of my personal goals for 2012. I'll let you know how it goes as the days of 2012 go by. Happy New Year everyone!!!